“Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution has inked an exclusive long-term output deal with Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1.

“The licensing agreement, the first such deal between the two companies in 14 years, includes exclusive TV rights to upcoming features such as Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” as well as a large selection of U.S. series for the group’s stations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.”

Read more at Variety.com.

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QUEENSLAND has attracted one of the biggest-budget films to be shot in Australia.  The multi-million dollar Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be filmed on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane this year, Premier Anna Bligh told state Parliament today.  Ms Bligh says the Walden Media/Twentieth Century Fox feature film will employ about 2000 Queenslanders during production.

“This means more jobs for extras, wardrobe assistants, make-up artists, drivers, production staff, set designers, set builders who will gain work and valuable experience during the production,” Ms Bligh said.  ”This will possibly be the highest-budget feature film ever shot in Queensland.”

It is set to rival the previous record breaker, Peter Pan, in 2002-03.  Locations include Doug Jennings Park on The Spit at the Gold Coast and Cleveland Point in Brisbane’s bayside.  Ms Bligh said more Gold Coast locations were being negotiated.  ”We faced some very stiff competition for this production from NSW and New Zealand,” she said.

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Regarding the first two Narnia films, Johnson said, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe worked phenomenally well and Prince Caspian worked very well. It’s funny it’s seen in a different light (but it still made) just under half a billion dollars.”

Johnson also comments that he looks forward to working on “Dawn Treader,” due in theaters in December 2010.  The full article is available at the Calgary Sun’s website.  Scroll down to the heading that reads “Third Time Lucky?”

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Check out the entry here.  The VDT logo appears about half way down the page.  It’s very similar to the original logos for both The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, which is great considering the change in production studio.

According to Jim Hill’s blog, 20th Century Fox is trying to get companies and t-shirt makers excited about Dawn Treader.  This picture comes from the Licensing International Expo 2009.

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Q: When the list of eligible songs for the “Best Original Song” Academy Award was released, “The Call” was there but “This is Home” and the others weren’t. Can you explain this?

-Skulblaka_Shur’tugal

Paul: Good question.  I’m not sure the rules on this, and even the official site for the Oscars doesn’t have the rules for eligibility posted in this category.  There must have been a reason, but I just can’t find it.  Can anyone else?

Q: I want to say something about the most recent mailbag; Skulbaka had a question about Fox’s handling of Narnia, and mentioned that Eragon was a poor film compared to the book. While I haven’t read Eragon and haven’t seen the film, so I don’t know anything about it, I do know that Fox has handled STar Wars quite well (which I believe you mentioned). HOWEVER, Fox will not be responsible for what’s in the script, am I right? Michael Apted and the screenwriter(s) are responsible for what goes into the script; the studios (Walden and Fox) will handle the distribution, marketing and publicity.

I also wanted to ask a question: since Disney has bailed on the films, do you think there will be better publicity for Voyage of the Dawn treader, like there was for Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?

-Aravis Kenobi

Paul: Good additional points about the Dawn Treader script, and you are correct about that.  I think that there’s a good chance for better publicity than Prince Caspian had.  20th Century Fox wants to make this a franchise and they don’t want to do one Narnia only to see it fail.  Expect to see a lot in the way of publicity, this time around.

Q: Am I the only one who noticed the Narnia flag (rampant lion) on the opening shot of the Disney castle in the movie theater version of Prince Caspian? I was rather disappointed when it didn’t make the DVD.

Kelley

Paul: Now that you mention it, I sort of remember seeing it.  Anyone have verification on this?  I’m not sure I can find it.  It is interesting if it really isn’t on the DVD.  If I wasn’t watching the Ocean’s trilogy at the moment, I’d check the Blu-ray.

Q: Any idea on when we’ll hear casting announcements?
Do you think/know if TCF/Walden will market VDT to faith groups?

Mike

Paul: Casting announcements, if filming indeed starts in late July, some time this month.  Keep your eyes on NarniaFans.com for these!  I think that that Walden will market VDT to faith groups again, and hopefully with as much stress as they did LWW.  The biggest problem is that the rest of the Narnia films don’t have as public a symbolic reference to Christ.  Nor the name recognition.  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe could have been released under that name alone.  Calling it The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was pure marketing so that when future films in the series were released, people could see the name Narnia and remember the last film on the weight of that name alone.

And that’s it for this week’s mailbag. Keep sending us e-mails, and we’ll keep answering.  If you have any answers, feel free to comment below, or send us an e-mail and we’ll post it in future mailbags.

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The first question is a short one that I somehow missed a couple of weeks ago.

Q: What is the 4th Narnia?

-Matthew

Paul: This simple question has a bit of a complex answer.  It depends on what you’re talking about, first and foremost: The books or the films.

If it’s the films, then it’s The Silver Chair.

The book version is a little more complex.  But I’ll give you the original answer first: The Silver Chair.  It was the fourth book published in the series.  Later on, in the 1970s, the books were published in the chronological order of the story, based on the Narnia timeline.  This put The Silver Chair in the sixth position in the series.  Oddly enough, it also puts Prince Caspian as the fourth.  However, this is something that I find rather odd, personally.  Especially so because of the movies out so far.

Q: Hi! Love the Mailbag! Okay, so obviously as of May 22nd, the Narnia Exhibition rides into Union Station. (My friend thanks you for this info – she lives near there!) But is there, as of yet, any knowledge that the exhibition will continue AFTER Kansas City? I know this is a silly question, but so far this hasn’t come within quite a few miles of my area, and I might as well go to Kansas if it isn’t coming near me. Thankies! Oh and by the way, isn’t there a new movie that Ben Barnes plays in that is coming out soon?

-April G.

Paul: From what I was told in New York City a year ago, the Exhibition is meant to continue for a few years, traveling all over the country and changing after each film comes out.  I just don’t know where.  Perhaps someone involved in the Exhibition knows.  I should have done some homework, but I haven’t had time in the last week.

Also, Ben Barnes is, in fact, in a couple of movies at the moment.  Easy Virtue is currently playing in a limited release in the United States, and has been opening in many foreign territories since September 2008.  It will continue to open in many foreign territories through August of this year.

Dorian Gray is the other film, and it doesn’t currently have a release date set in the United States, but it is scheduled to open in the UK on September 18 as well as Finland on December 25, 2009.  It could be out any time in the fall, however, but there is no word on the scope of the release.

Q: What are your opinions about Fox taking over the Narnia series? Personally, I’m all for it; the only worry I have is they also adapted “Eragon”, which frankly was poor compared with the book. Anyway, thanks.

-Skulblaka_Shur’tugal

Paul: This is a difficult question to answer.  It’s kind of a double edged sword.  It really depends on how the film (series?) is handled by the studio.  Their handling of the X-Men franchise is the only one that has me slightly worried.  Apparently, there is a producer there that wanted to kill the franchise from the start, not really understanding why it’s a franchise worth doing well.  (If it is true, then that producer should be removed from any type of control over the future of the series.)

Eragon isn’t worth getting concerned over.  There is a different creative team than that which worked on Eragon.  In fact, it is still pretty much the same team that worked on the first two films, save for the screenwriters, director and composer.  It should feel like a Narnia film.

If there is one thing Fox has done really well, it’s letting outside creative teams have complete control of their franchises, such as George Lucas with Star Wars.  Those were the terms of his contract with them, and I’m willing to bet that the Lewis Estate made it a big part of their contract with Fox as well.

All in all, I trust 20th Century Fox with the future of the franchise, and I think they’ll do a great job with it.  Remember: Walden Media is still very much a part of this.

Alrighty, this is a little shorter than usual, but it’s all I have time for this week.  Keep the e-mail coming!

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I’ve always thought that it should be in the hands of Walden Media for this very reason.  Walden Media holds the license on the series.  However, Disney’s hosting capacity was probably much larger, being as big a company as they are.

John Burkitt points out who the owner of the Narnia.com domain is. It’s as I figured, the Lewis Estate owns it.

The domain belongs to:

C.S. Lewis Pte Ltd
1st Floor, Unit 4, Old Generator House
Bourne Valley Road
Poole, Dorset BH12 1DZ
GB

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What he didn’t mention are the names of those three films.  In 2010, they have a few films that would make great potential 3D releases, that we know of.  One of those is the remake of Fantastic Voyage, which is about a scientist with a potentially fatal health problem takes a risk on his only chance of survival: for five of his colleagues to be miniaturized in a ship and injected into his bloodstream.

The other film on the list of 2010 releases includes The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Does that mean we have the potential to see a Narnia film in 3D?  Definitely!

What I hope, though, is that they do the 3D film without relying on the gimmicks that usually come with a 3D film.  Although, with the new wave of 3D movies that have come out lately, those gimmicks seem to only happen in movies that were meant to be 3D from the start.  3D films are beginning to use 3D as an advantage, bringing people into the environment of the movie and immersing the viewer in the world presented, instead of intentionally throwing things toward the camera.

Another thing about 3D movies that a lot of people still don’t realize is that the technology is now advanced, and using the red and blue lenses is a thing of the past.  They now use polarized lenses that make the 3D happen.

What do you think?  Would you like to see Dawn Treader in 3D?

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Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media will release “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” on December 10, 2010.

The move means “Narnia” will once again be a winter franchise, and places it a day past the five year anniversary of the release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005.

Twentieth Century Fox recently partnered with Walden on the “Narnia” film series after Disney and Walden parted ways.  It was an easy fit, since Walden Media and Fox have a partnership under the Fox Walden banner.  Disney was the publicity, financial support and distributor for the first two “Narnia” films. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe debuted in December 2005 and cumed $291.7 million domestically.

Prince Caspian was released last May to less spectacular results, cuming $141.2 million at the North American box office. Walden and Fox believe “Narnia” is better suited for a December release.

As of now, “Dawn Treader” has the 2010 date to itself.  Let the countdown begin!

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The move gives Walden, which has been producing films with a number of studios, a permanent home for future projects while giving Fox the means to expand its reach into the lucrative family entertainment sector.

Walden, which is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, will remain an independent entity under the deal with its own production staff. Current projects under development with rival studios, including The Walt Disney Co., Paramount Pictures and New Line, also will remain in place.

The new, as yet unnamed joint venture, will market and promote films generally rated “G” and “PG,” including movies that will be contributed to the venture by both Walden and Fox.

As part of the deal, Fox will have first look rights at future projects from Bristol Bay Productions, Walden Media’s sister company under Anschutz Film Group. Bristol Bay’s past projects include 2004’s “Ray” and 2005’s “Sahara.”

Fox has been focusing on the family audience once owned almost exclusively by Disney. Fox has been releasing more animated films, such as Ice Age.

The studio also distributed the home video of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and last year launched a website to target Christian and family films directly to a religious audience.

“‘G’ and ‘PG’-rated pictures make up 10% of films released, but they dominate the marketplace with almost 30% of the gross,” Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairmen and chief executives Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman said in a statement.

“It’s a great business to be in and this venture is a great fit between our two companies.”

Last year, after the success of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was released by Disney, Walden started a book publishing unit and began to explore a potential partnership with a studio.

The new label already has a number of films under development, including Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, starring Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman, and City of Ember, based on Jeanne DuPrau’s novel and produced by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman for Playtone Productions.

Walden already has started work on a sequel called The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian which is based on the third book in the C.S. Lewis series. It’s scheduled to be in theaters by the summer of 2008.

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